But It's Better If You Do
by sawruhr
Summary: A story about hummus, pretend boyfriends, and the awkward situations they lead to. A series of oneshots. Gary/Rachel
1. Dirty Dancing

**Yes I know I have so many other fics I have to finish, but I can't help it. Gary/Rachel is too adorable. Don't own Alphas.**

**:::**

This was about one of the last things Lee Rosen thought he would ever walk in on. Sure, he could have predicted seeing Cameron and Nina naked in bed together (not that he would ever _want _to), but this - this was just _odd_.

"Gary, just follow my feet okay-"

"Rachel, you're supposed to follow _my _feet, I'm the man, I'm leading-"

"Gary, I understand but-"

"Am I interrupting something?" Rosen couldn't help but feel more than a little awkward upon seeing his two youngest workers holding one another, toe to toe, attempting some sort of _dance_. (Which, to be honest, looked more like Rachel struggling in her too-high Nina heels and Gary shifting his weight from foot to foot). Immediately, Rachel stepped away, pulling her hands away from Gary's shoulders, his own slipping from her waist in response, backing up a good foot in her four inch heels without looking too pained.

"Dr. Rosen," she started, brushing some dark hair from her face and looking almost like a child caught in the act of doing something rather inappropriate for their age.

"We're practicing," put in Gary, not quite looking at Rosen, hands which were previously hovering over Rachel's waist, now fumbling together. "We're going to a party so we have to practice because I'm Rachel's pretend boyfriend and we have to look like we're actually together. It's our cover story."

"It was only for a minute," defended Rachel, perhaps too quickly as she seemed to waver toward her desk to give the impression that she would go back to work soon. Dr. Rosen shook his head, eyes slightly narrowed at the pair, but not in a suspicious or accusing manner.

"Don't stop on my account. This is just, uhm, rather surprising. A family party, am I wrong to assume?" Gary laughed lightly, one hand twisting the band on the other.

"Bill said you shouldn't assume. He said it makes an a-"

"Gary." It was simply his name, softly said but warning, and a pointed look from Rachel that Rosen found himself unable to fully describe, but it was enough that Gary immediately stopped with his inappropriate comment and glanced in her general direction. And in that moment, Rosen felt like a _horrible _therapist for not being able to describe what he had just witnessed.

"Right," mumbled Rosen, unsure if he should be disappointed with Rachel almost using Gary, or satisfied that they both had someone to connect with. "And Gary, you're okay with being Rachel's pretend boyfriend?" He had to ask. As much as Gary hated being treated like a child, Rosen knew how easy it could be to manipulate him, not that Rachel would ever do such a thing.

"Yeah, it's a cover story, I'm a secret agent. I get to eat hummus and spend time with Rachel, and no one can stop me because I'm her pretend boyfriend." Rosen smiled then, the response wholly Gary.

"It's just for a little while," added Rachel, nearly wringing her hands as if guilty. "I just need to have someone with me-"

Rosen held up his hand, shaking his head. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Rachel. It's your personal life, and you and Gary are both adults." This seemed to cause Gary to light up.

"Yeah, we're adults. No one can tell us what to do because we can do it ourselves," he remarked, smile widening, eyes not on anything in particular. Rosen smiled lightly before slowly backing out of Rachel's office.

"Good luck with the dance," he said, sending Rachel a reassuring nod, and getting a small smile in response. As he closed the door, Rosen caught a glimpse of Gary already moving closer to Rachel in the small office, looking at her, but not really, as was Gary's nature.

"Rachel, I think you need shorter shoes. I have some sneakers. I can hook you up."

**:::**

**I hope I got Gary's voice right. Any ideas on anymore fake couple stuff Gary and Rachel should get up to? Review and let me know :D**


	2. Kisses

**Quick update. According to the ever useful tumblr, Rachel's sister's name is Zahra. Don't own Alphas.**

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Their first kiss was quite…anticlimactic. Or at least, not as _dramatic _as Rachel thought first kisses between people were supposed to be (mostly because Rachel's ability tended to make things seem more hot and heavy than they actually were).

Was it even considered a first kiss? It was really just her pressing her lips to the corner of Gary's mouth, rather quickly, Rachel might add, and quickly following her sister to the restroom of the expensive restaurant they were at. She had only done it to keep up their relationship in front of her parents, and it was obvious her entire family was not only suspicious, but already starting to mention new men, right in front of Gary. So, when Zahra Pirzad leaned over to kiss her fiancé on the lips before moving toward the restroom, Rachel felt all eyes on her, and knew instinctively what was not expected, but what was _needed_ to keep her parents off her back for even longer.

And so, she stood up from her seat, one hand smoothing the bottom of her black dress, the other shifting her purse up her shoulder before landing on Gary's upper arm, the synthetic fabric of his dark blazer (courtesy of Dr. Rosen) comforting beneath her palm.

"I'll be right back," she whispered lightly, and without hesitating, leaned down to reach Gary's level, and pressed her lips quickly to his own. And she missed. Not that it was obvious, but it was still enough to cause her to blush upon feeling the corner of Gary's soft lips against her subtly lipglossed ones.

The sanctity of the restroom didn't do anything to ease her worry about not only leaving him alone with her family, but leaving him alone after _that_. What was she supposed to call it? A kiss? A peck? Some weird form of affection that pretend girlfriends and boyfriends do to stop their parents from hooking them up with suitors?

"I can't believe you've actually been able to keep a boyfriend," mused Zahra, touching up her eyeliner in the large mirrors of the ridiculously fancy restroom. She sounded amused. Rachel tried to calm herself, brush off any worries, and pretend everything was completely normal.

"I like Gary," she answered, congratulating herself on sounding firm. It helped that she was telling the truth. Zahra let out something between a half snort and half chuckle, now reapplying her lipstick, a bold color that Rachel was so use to seeing on Nina.

"He's a bit strange though, you have to admit. I don't think Mom and Papa like him much," continued Zahra, seemingly unaware of how much she was offending her sister.

"Gary's a good guy," defended Rachel, moving closer to her sister. She caught sight of their reflections in the mirror. Rachel almost always looked like a washed out version of her sister, subtle makeup, hair simply down, cardigan over dark unnoticeable dress.

"I'm sure he is," said Zahra, placing her makeup back in her purse, and Rachel realized in that moment that her sister didn't mean to start anything. "I'm just looking out for you. You need a man that can support you, someone with a good job and-"

"No." There was just a second of silence in that room, a shared moment between two sisters.

"I can take care of myself. I'm not a child anymore _khahar_. I appreciate your concern but you don't need to always watch out for me. And Gary is very reliable, I can count of him. You should give him a chance." Rachel didn't mean to sound catty, and knew her sister really did care, but was tired of being treated like some sort of kid. Zahra gave her sister a tight smile.

"Try convincing Mom and Papa that," was all the other Pirzad said before leaving the restroom. And that, Rachel thought rather sullen, was the difficult part.

**:::**

"So what did you and my parents talk about?" They were sitting on a bench down the street from the restaurant, waiting for Nina to come pick them up. Although the older woman had graciously "donated" a car to Rachel, she was still hesitant on using it, unable to shake the fact that Nina had acquired it less than legally.

"They wanted to know where I went to school. I said Cornell like told me too. I said I did business and medicine. They looked really surprised," responded Gary, eating some of the extra hummus Rachel had snagged for him on the way out of the Persian restaurant. Rachel nodded, smiling at the cover story she had worked on, building Gary up enough so her parents wouldn't brush him off too easily. They sat in comfortable silence, Gary moving between dashing through signals with his fingers and eating some of the hummus. Rachel chanced a glance at him. He didn't seem at all upset by _that_. But with Gary, sometimes it was hard to tell.

"Gary," started Rachel, angling her body more toward him. "Sorry I kissed you. I know you don't like to be touched and I didn't ask if it was okay first." There. She said it. She had confirmed it was a kiss, apologized, and now her heart should stop the ridiculous amount of pounding it was doing.

"It's okay," said Gary between bites of pita bread he had dumped in the hummus, "I'm your pretend boyfriend, we're supposed to kiss." He squinted then, and turned to her, looking at a point on her dress.

"You missed though. You got lipgloss on my lip. It tasted fruity." With that, Gary's tongue darted out to lick the corner of his lips, perhaps searching for some residue of her gloss, causing Rachel to laugh lightly. Hearing Rachel's reaction, Gary smiled, teeth and all.

"We should practice for our cover story. Like with dancing." It was a rather innocent comment coming from Gary, but Rachel couldn't help but turn red considering the implications.

"Maybe," she mumbled, looking down at her lap, not sure what possessed her to even consider something like that. This was Gary. He was her friend and coworker. The whole idea was just unethical.

"Gary," she started, looking up at him, only to feel his own lips press against hers. Unlike her own previously, his did not miss. They were soft, bits of bread and hummus on them that only she could feel, and her lipgloss had faded enough over dinner that it was barely there as a layer between them.

And like before, this kiss was brief.

Gary pulled away and grinned.

"I didn't miss."

**:::**

**Too soon? I think not! I'm glad I got Gary's voice down last chapter and hopefully this chapter too. Remember to review with ideas.  
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_**khahar: "sister" in Persian/Farsi**_


	3. That Time of Month

**I'm just on a roll this week. Don't own Alphas.**

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Gary wasn't sure what was wrong with Rachel. She didn't want to hold hands this morning when they walked into the building together. Gary didn't really like anyone touching him, but he gave Rachel permission. He liked how her hand felt. It was small and thin, but always warm, a bright tan color against his own fair skin.

But today he didn't get to hold her hand.

"Hey Gary." Cameron peeked into the transducer's room, on his way to probably make coffee in the most complicated way he could manage.

"Cameron!" Gary lit up at his friend's greeting, hand in the air as he flipped through various "channels" in a spectrum only he could see.

"Come in. Sit down." Cameron seemed to hesitate for a moment. Gary almost never invited anyone to his room, it was rather small compared to the others. Deciding his coffee making antics could wait, Cameron slid in to the room, taking a seat on a worn couch against the wall, a few feet away where Gary's chair had taken up residence in the middle of his room instead of behind his desk. Before Cameron could initiate some sort of conversation, Gary spoke up.

"Rachel didn't hold my hand this morning." He was looking past Hicks, his hands no longer in the air. Cameron tried not to look taken aback. Rachel had not held his hand? They were together? Didn't Gary not like being touched? He did remember Nina mentioning briefly that she had to drive the two to a party, but never that they were _together_.

"Oh." Cameron was never one that was good with words. "You…think she's mad at you?" Gary's eyebrows scrunched up and he frowned, but still his eyes didn't meet Cameron's.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Rachel's upset and I don't know why. I have to find out why. That's what pretend boyfriends do," explained Gary with a huff, obviously frustrated. Cameron's eyebrows rose up. Pretend? Was this something for Rosen? An undercover mission?

"Why do you think she's upset? Maybe she just didn't feel like holding hands," prodded Cameron, shifting in his seat. Gary shook his head.

"No. No, Rachel didn't want to share my lunch yesterday either. I only share with her because she brings me hummus and because that's our cover story," explained Gary. Cameron nodded, but still unsure on how this all equated to Rachel being upset.

"And when we left yesterday," started Gary, sitting up in his seat, "I tried to hold the door open for her, but she walked around me and said she could do it herself." At this last part, Gary sounded horribly disappointed, his eyes dropping to the carpeted floor of his office. Now _this _didn't sound like Rachel.

"Did you ask what's wrong?" asked Cameron, already knowing Gary probably did.

"She said nothing. But it's not nothing because Rachel never acts like that." Despite the rather sullen situation, Hicks couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle as he crossed his arms.

"When a woman says nothing's wrong, Gary, it _always _means something's wrong," he shared with the younger man. Gary's eyebrow's furrowed.

"Then why does she say nothing's wrong?" he asked logically.

"Because she wants _you _to figure out. I guess it's because if you know her well enough, she expects you to be able to know what's on her mind." At that, Cameron shrugged. He really wasn't an expert on women. Bill probably had a better outlook, considering he was still married to his wife, unlike Hicks. Gary seemed to consider this for a moment before looking up at the space in front of him and flicking his fingers through the air, now searching the signals around him. They sat in a moment of silence, and Cameron made to leave since Gary seemed to have ended the conversation, but before he could get out of his seat, Gary asked,

"What's the 'time of the month'?" Cameron once again had a hard time trying not to look taken aback, so instead, cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh, it's, erm – why don't you just check online?" A cop out, but Cameron never did say he was above those things. This was one of those "where do babies come from" conversations and Cameron _really_ didn't want to talk about something like that with Gary. It wasn't that Gary couldn't handle it, it was that _Cameron _couldn't. Gary suddenly smiled.

"I can just ask Rachel. That way, she'll know that I figured out why she's upset."

"No!" blurted out Cameron, causing Gary to once again focus on him. "No, it's just uh, an _inappropriate _question."

"Like the jokes Bill tells me," added Gary with a small smile. Cameron nodded.

"Yeah. Look Gary, the time of the month for a woman is…a very stressful period-" Cameron paused, slightly horrified by his word choice.

"A very stressful _interval of time_, in which, uh…" How to go about this? Lie? Go into the clinical aspect and try to hold a straight face the entire time? Use a metaphor?

"Is that when girls bleed and stuff so they have to use these poofy napkins?" Gary scrunched up his nose in slight disgust. Cameron nodded mutely, quite surprised that Gary knew about the bodily functions of women given his informal home schooling.

"My mom taught me about that. It was when she taught health. That was after lunch." Cameron nodded in understanding, slightly relaxing in his seat.

"If I get Rachel those poofy napkins, do you think she'll still be upset with me?"

A beat.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Gary."

**:::**

**A bit of an awkward chapter? Maybe. Was Rachel really on her period? Probably.**


	4. Rain

**Need to catch up with the latest Alphas episode. Enjoy this next chapter. Don't own Alphas.**

**:::**

"Rachel, it's past 9:30. I'm not in bed and it's past 9:30." Rachel cursed under her breath for nearly the twentieth time that evening, tightening her grip on Gary's hand and balancing her large purse over her head as rain pelted both of them. She tried to concentrate on the fastest route home, half-running in her two inch heels, tugging a complaining Gary along the near empty streets in Soho as the sidewalks and streets were starting to flood. The street signs were near unreadable thanks to the storm (and darkness) they were caught in, but by simply enhancing her vision, Rachel easily navigated them through the streets. They just needed to make one more right and soon they would arrive at Nina's and Rachel's less than humble adobe.

"Rachel, I don't think I like rain."

"I don't either, Gary," agreed Rachel, mentally kicking herself for taking out Gary on a "little trip" to a Turkish restaurant (for hummus, what else), as she had told Ms. Bell. It didn't help that she ignored the drizzle until it turned into a full storm and now they couldn't find a cab and were stuck running back to Rachel's current residence, the closest place to seek refuge.

"Come on Gary," called Rachel, finally reaching the upscale apartment complex and holding the door open for Gary who walked in rubbing at his wet hair. In less than a minute, both young alphas stumbled into the expensive, _dry, _loft on the top floor, bringing in wet footprints. The lights were off, and upon straining her hearing for just a moment (something she always took the time to do now ever since the _incident_), Rachel confirmed that Nina wasn't home, perhaps stuck because of the storm as well.

"Rachel, my clothes are wet. I'm going to get sick," said Gary, hovering over her shoulder to catch her attention, hands now pulling at his damp clothing that was already starting to drip onto the hardwood paneling. Rachel shot him an apologetic smile, dropping her purse near the door and messily wiping some wet hair from her face.

"Sorry, Gary. Wait a second, I'm going to get some towels." Without hesitating, she rushed to the bathroom and searched the closet for a large fluffy white one (the luxurious type Nina loved) and hurried back to the now shivering Gary, her heels barely audible because of the weather that was growing even more violent outside.

"Here." Rachel reached up to dry off Gary's hair and face, trying to ignore her own uncomfortable, wet clothing. Gary was her top concern right now – he was, after all, her responsibility at this moment (even though Rachel knew Gary could very well take care of himself if needed).

"Rachel," started Gary, swatting at her persistent hands, his usual flat tone holding some hint of indiscernible emotion, "You're wet too. You need a towel."

"Gary," Rachel sighed, wishing he didn't act so difficult sometimes, "Just, please take off your clothes." In hindsight, that probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to ask regardless of the context. Gary shook his head, pushing the towel away, still shivering in his too wet clothes.

"My mom said I shouldn't take my clothes off at other people's houses and-"

"Gary," interrupted Rachel, putting one hand on his wet jacket. This was for his own good, she assured herself, and was not at all inappropriate or _weird._

"Take off your clothes in the bathroom and dry off, okay?" she ordered gently, pulling the wet coat off his body and hanging it on the back of a chair in the connected kitchen. "Here." She handed him the white towel.

"But then I'll have no clothes and I'll be _naked_," Gary stated bluntly, giving Rachel a look. She tried not to feel embarrassed, knowing that she was merely looking out for Gary's health.

"Gary, please just go. I don't want you to get sick."

"I don't want _you _to get sick, Rachel." Gary didn't seem to budge, causing Rachel to let out a groan of frustration, the rain against the windows seemingly growing louder, the rhythm causing Rachel's temples to throb.

"Gary, I-" She paused, and without thinking, shrugged off her cardigan on the floor and slipped off her heels before brushing past Gary. "You can take care of yourself, right?" Rachel didn't wait for a response and just went into her room next to Nina's, closing the door for some privacy while she removed her pale red dress. She didn't mean to act unconcerned, but Gary obviously wasn't going to do anything unless she did so first. Sighing in relief for finally getting out of her wet clothes, Rachel dug through her closet for a new pair of undergarments which she promptly slipped on before reaching for her own towel to dry out her hair.

Gary could be so difficult sometimes, and because of the rouse they had been playing on her parents, she was forced more often than not to compromise with his oddities. Rachel smiled a bit, considering some of the antics Gary would get up to around not only her coworkers but her family. Despite the fact that he could be a handful in a manner, he was an honest and dependable friend. Rachel's smile turned into a grin. It didn't hurt that he could be adorable at times too.

"Rachel, where do I put my clothes?" All these happy thoughts flew right out the window into the storm as Rachel let out a squeak, turning and quickly wrapping her towel around herself, barely able to hold it up as she stared wide-eyed at Gary now standing in the doorway. He had a towel wrapped around his thin waist and arms around his wet clothing which he held to his chest, still shivering.

"Oh, Gary," mumbled Rachel softly, securing her towel before moving to take the wet clothing from him. "I'll put these in the dryer," she said as she picked up her wet garments as well and hurried past Gary to the washroom to avoid being half-naked around him more than necessary.

By the time she returned to her room, Gary had taken up refuge under her comforter, only his face peeking out from the mocha colored blanket. He looked terrible, still visibly shaking, cheeks red against his pale skin.

"I'm still cold. I hate being cold. Can I have some soup? My mom always makes me soup when I'm cold," mumbled Gary, eyes half lidded, voice strained. Rachel frowned – the room felt fine to her, perhaps Gary was really getting sick.

"I'll make you some soup and tea Gary, how does that sound?" asked Rachel, already searching through her closet for some clothing big enough for him. There was her old Rutgers sweatshirt, extra big, and a pair of sweatpants she hasn't worn yet because they kept falling off her waist.

"Change into these," the brunette offered kindly, giving Gary a sympathetic smile as she placed the extra clothes on the comforter next to him. Gary sniffed, looking over her shoulder.

"You look like you just came from the shower. You need clothes too." Oh. In worrying about Gary, Rachel had nearly forgotten she too was showing more than enough skin and quickly grabbed whatever she could out of her closet before leaving the room. She tried not to think about how _naked _they were in there, together in her bedroom. She especially tried not to think about Gary in her bed in any context that would be deemed inappropriate by . Or the fact that he had noticed she needed to be wearing clothes. Which indicated that Gary knew how underdressed she really was. And how he saw her legs, and thighs, and her chest, and- Rachel shook her head. This was definitely not the time to think about something like that.

**:::**

By the time Rachel returned to her room, loose t-shirt and baggy pajama bottoms, Gary was laying on his side, eyes clothes, blanket barely covering the obviously too tight sweater she had given him to wear. After setting the tray of two cups of tea and a large bowl of soup on her nightstand, Rachel reached over to pull the blankets to his chin when Gary slowly opened his eyes, briefly meeting hers.

"I can't sleep. It's past 9:30 so I'm staying up," he said, his voice quiet and hoarse.

"Sit up then, I brought you some soup," said Rachel with a smile, helping Gary sit up against the headboard. She slid the tray onto his lap, pointing to the food in the bowl.

"There's chicken and noddles, some parsley…" Rachel trailed off from her description, surprised to see Gary start eating without making sure to know exactly what was inside of the soup.

"Rachel, there's two cups of tea," Gary managed to get out between slurps.

"Yeah, one's for me," explained Rachel, moving to grab it from the tray, but Gary shook his head, slightly pulling the tray away.

"You can sit with me. This is your bed. You can sit on it," said Gary, seemingly gaining his voice back.

"Gary-"

"I insist. Rachel, I insist. I'm a good pretend boyfriend, right?" He grinned at the last part before scooting over on the bed. Rachel let out a sigh of defeat, and with a smile on her face, crawled into bed next to Gary, getting comfortable against the pillows and drinking her tea.

**:::**

**Hope you liked this little bit. Don't forget to review with ideas!  
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	5. Duck and Cover

**Just a cute little moment from one of the more recent episodes. Don't own Alphas.**

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Rachel groaned, bringing her hand to the side of her head, trying to ease the sudden pain that erupted along her temples.

"Rachel, you're wake. I'm covering both of us." As Rachel's vision focused, she realized it was too dark to really see anything and felt as if a blanket or something was on top of her.

"Gary?" she questioned, making out a face hovering above hers.

"Yeah. We're covered now. We're covered but everything's still shaking," he said, clutching his jacket over them. Indeed, the floor _was_ movingand Rachel could actually _feel_ how unstable the building was at the moment.

"Where's everyone else?" asked Rachel frantically, sitting up, causing Gary to adjust the jacket so it still managed to cover their heads.

"I don't know. Bill brought you here. He carried you and told me to watch you. I was ducking and covering. So I covered you too," explained Gary rather flatly in the darkness of his jacket. Rachel strained her ears, counting the amount of heartbeats. She frowned. Everyone was still there, but Bill's heart rate had just spiked. Was he getting amped, even after his ability was temporarily gone?

A crash interrupted her thoughts, something within the room fell, a shelf, forcing Rachel to return to her normal senses, just as Gary started pulling the jacket closer to them.

"It's getting worse. We need to duck and cover," he dictated, starting to pull Rachel closer to the wall, the top of her head brushing against what she assumed to be a table.

"Gary, we need to find Bill," interjected Rachel, placing a hand on his arm to calm him down. He immediately pulled away, not too far though because his jacket was still over both their heads.

"No. Rachel, no. We need to duck and cover because everything's shaking and we could get hurt. You could get hurt. I don't want to see you hurt." Before Rachel could respond to Gary's kind words, the shaking abruptly stopped, and upon a quick scan of heartbeats, Rachel realized with numb feeling that one was missing. She easily recognized Bill's heartbeat, the one that was racing too fast to be considered normal. The remaining sounded nearly alike, but because the building had stopped shaking, Rachel could almost certainly say who had…passed away. An unfortunate consequence in her line of work which she would much rather just ignore.

"Is it over?" asked Gary, peeking out from under his jacket.

"Yeah," responded Rachel, fully lifting the jacket off of both of them and standing up, a bit wobbly on her feet. Gary joined her, slipping on his coat as he stood up.

"See, duck and cover worked," he said, nodding at Rachel. She flashed him a brief smile, bringing her hands up to massage her temples, her legs barely supporting her body. She must have taken a rather nasty fall after that room exploded.

"You got hurt. That witch hurt you. Then that other guy hurt you. A lot of people try to hurt you, Rachel," remarked Gary, leaning a bit closer to her.

"Tell me about it," mumbled Rachel, making her way to the door, stepping over broken glass and fallen debris. "Thanks for covering me Gary."

"Rachel, wait." Gary came up next to her, one hand fumbling with the band on his wrist.

"You saved me. That witch was going to hurt me and you saved me. Thank you." He smiled, a small smile, but it was enough for Rachel and she returned it.

"Anytime Gary." With that, she leaned over to give him a quick hug, knowing how Gary got about people touching him without permission. He didn't seem to mind though, and if Rachel didn't know any better, she'd say his smile grew even wider.

:::

**Just a short one. Alphas fandom needs to pick it up :0 I demand more fics!**


	6. Shotgun Wedding

**Sorry for the delay. Busy with college and all that. Not too sure where I was going with this, but whatever. I don't own Alphas.**

**:::**

It was exactly 8:21 PM when the power went out.

Rachel's focus moved to vision, her hands hovering over her keyboard of her now blank laptop. She waited for her vision to naturally adjust before allowing her senses open again, hearing a rather ferocious clap of thunder in the sky.

"Don't tell me we're stuck here," she heard Nina grumbling as her heels clicked outside of Rachel's door. The Iranian woman hurried out of her room to meet up with the rest of the team, quite uneasy in the darkened room with the storm raging outside. Just as she moved to open the door, it shot open, and the person the on other side stumbled in, obviously not quite adjusted to the darkness.

"Rachel?" It was Gary, squinting around to try and make her out in the dark.

"Rachel?" He didn't move like most people would, just squinted and tried to make her out in the dark.

"Yes, Gary. Do you know what happened?" she asked, gently placing a hand on his back and leading him quite efficiently down the dark hallway to the conference room. From the corner of her eye, she could see Gary using both hands to sift through signals, head slightly tilted, eyes narrowed.

"Nothing, nothing," he mumbled under his breath. "Power's out around the neighborhood. Not a lot of signals. Cell phones still work." Ah. Must have been the storm that knocked out a tower or something. Upon nearing the conference room, they could see multiple flashlight beams flitting across the walls, but the thunder was too loud to hear anything until they actually entered.

"Ah, glad to see you two made it here alright," joked Rosen, giving the two a knowing smile. Ever since he caught them dancing, he has been taking some harmless fun in teasing, perhaps because he still saw Gary and Rachel as somewhat children in a sense. Bill shined a light at the two of them, causing both to squint, Rachel quickly moving her hand to hide her eyes.

"Gary, do you know if a tower went down or just some line?" he asked, all business.

"Power line. A tree hit it so now it doesn't work. Can I have a flashlight?" Gary asked, still looking into Bill's light despite his discomfort. Hicks grabbed a flashlight from the box on the glass table and handed him it before reaching to give Rachel his and getting one for himself.

"So, I'm assuming it's not safe to drive home?" put in Nina, already getting comfortable in one of the office chairs, her flashlight pointing somewhere up at the ceiling.

"I'm afraid so," answered Rosen, adjusting his glasses, his own flashlight still off and sitting on the table untouched. "I was checking earlier since it was nearing time to leave. Eaton Avenue is a bit flooded and the driving conditions are absolutely horrible. The storm should pass by this morning, so you all better be ready to hunker down. Gary, I already called your mother to let her know." Bill let out something of a breath of annoyance, not specifically at the thought of staying with his coworkers but at the problems caused by a simple thunderstorm. Pulling out his cellphone, he moved toward the corner of the room to quietly let his wife know he wasn't going to make it back that evening before inquiring about how she was.

Rachel almost took out her phone to call her parents before realizing she didn't live with them anymore, and instead took a seat next to Nina, flicking off her flashlight.

"Dr. Rosen, I have to be in bed by 9:30. If I'm not, I'll stay up all night," said Gary, moving his flashlight beam all across the room, a small smile on his face. Rosen nodded.

"Right. Well, Gary, when you're ready to sleep, feel free to find a space in your office or on one of the couches here. I'm sorry I didn't exactly prepare for this impromptu sleepover," said Rosen, giving his employees an apologetic smile. Hicks shook his head, flashlight pointed at the ground.

"No problem, Doc. All we need is a couple of marshmallows and scary stories, and we won't need to sleep," Cameron joked, sitting across from Nina, shooting her a _look_. Needless to say, Nina wasn't the only one who noticed it.

"Speak for yourself," mumbled Bill, sitting at the other head of the table, across from Rosen, leaving one seat next to Cameron empty for Gary, who was busying himself with his flashlight.

"I like marshmallows. They're squishy," related Gary, eyes following the beam of light as he traced it across everyone's faces.

"Gary, can you not shine that in our face?" asked Bill, probably unaware that he had done the same thing only minutes ago.

"You mean like this?" Gary laughed a little to himself as the flashlight beam landed once again on Bill, causing the darkskinned man to grimace. Rachel, unintentionally, laughed as well, quietly into her hand.

"Funny," grumbled Bill, a half-smile there, but easily gone a second later.

"Rachel thought it was funny," commented Gary, finally taking his seat next to Cameron who was hiding a smile into his palm, shooting Bill amused looks, to which Bill simply shook his head.

"Don't girls usually find their boyfriend's antics amusing?" teased Nina, shooting Rachel a suggestive smile. Thankfully for the darkness, and only three flashlights, no one saw Rachel turn red, looking down at the table to avoid everyone's stares. Gary smiled wider.

"Rachel, you think my antics are amusing," he said surely, waving his flashlight at her.

"Did I miss something?" asked Bill, glancing from Rachel to Gary. It was obvious he was surprised, but unlike everyone else in the room, he rarely showed it if at all.

"Gary and Rachel are going out," put in Cameron, unable to hold back from the teasing, resulting in Dr. Rosen and Nina letting out chuckles of amusement.

"I'm Rachel's pretend boyfriend," put in Gary, looking to Bill with a look that he only ever gave the older man. He was looking for Bill's approval. "It's our cover story." Bill just looked between the two.

"Oh." And that was that. Rachel was surprised Bill didn't jump in on the teasing, something that seemed to be his forte.

"So, how long before the wedding?" Spoke to soon, it seemed. Rachel shook her head, embarrassed as she placed her hand to her forehead, and Gary frowned, confused.

"What wedding? Are we going to a wedding for our next mission?" asked the youngest member of the group, glancing at his coworkers. Nina shot Bill a look and shook her head.

"He means the wedding between you and Rachel," she elaborated.

"Which is never going to happen, Bill," put in Rachel, before realizing the implications of her words. She immediately tensed up, eyes wide at Gary who was looking over her shoulder, eyebrows scrunched up.

"I mean, not that I wouldn't want to marry you Gary. Well, not at this time- what I meant was that we're not _really _together so…" Rachel trailed off, feeling terrible when Gary didn't respond right away, rather, his eyebrows seemed to scrunch up even more.

"Gary," started Rosen, perhaps sensing the tension in the room, only to be interrupted by Gary.

"That was a joke. I get it now," Gary broke into a wide smile, proud to have gotten Bill's tease. "Because Rachel and I are dating, next we're supposed to get married. That would really get your parents, right Rachel?" Rachel wasn't sure how to respond, but was glad Gary didn't seem to take her words the wrong way.

"I'd pay to see a little fake shindig," commented Hicks with a grin, now tossing his flashlight up and down with one hand. "I'll even speak at the reception." Gary nodded with excitement.

"Bill can be my best man! And Nina a bridesmaid. Dr. Rosen, do you want to walk Rachel down the aisle?" Rosen smiled a bit, relaxing in his chair.

"That's usually reserved for the father Gary."

"I don't think Rachel's family will show up to the wedding if I'm the one marrying her," said Gary, not at all offended by this probable truth. Rachel shook her head and smiled.

"I'd still marry you regardless," she said. Gary's grin seemed to widen, if possible.

"Hicks, you can do tricks at the reception. Juggling," added Rachel, shooting the man a teasing smile.

"If you two were getting married, I'd juggle chairs. With people sitting in them."

**:::**

**Don't they have a backup generator? No, not in this fic lol. Now Bill is in the loop. He's probably going to somehow manage to mess with them in every chapter.  
><strong>


	7. Male Gaze

**Been a while, sorry about that. Still saddened by the lack of Alphas fanfic but hopefully it'll pick up when the show returns. I don't own Alphas.**

**:::**

Oh _no. _When Dr. Rosen said to keep track of Peter Collins at all costs, he couldn't have meant _at all costs. _

Because there was no way Rachel Pirzad was chasing down a fugitive Alpha into a strip club.

"Rachel, why'd you stop?"

_Especially _not with Gary Bell.

"Is he still in there? Rachel?"

"_Are you two okay? Bill and Hicks are down. Nina and I are going to make sure they're okay before we get a chance to meet up with you and Gary. Do you still have visual of Collins?" _Rachel reached up to the earpiece in her ear, holding a finger to it.

"He's…evading us."

"Rachel, he went in there," pointed out Gary, gesturing to the flashy building that lit up the dark street. He did not seem to realize the exact type of establishment the building fostered.

"_Rachel, you need to keep track of him. He's probably too weak for another psionic attack. This is your best chance to detain him. Peter Collins is an extremely dangerous Alpha." _Rachel bowed her head, before nodding surely to herself. Collins was dangerous. She had to capture him before he did more damage.

"I understand Dr. Rosen." With that, Rachel pushed back her shoulders and closed her eyes, blocking out not only sight but all other senses but smell, her nose searching for Collins' smell, the particular brand of cigarettes and cologne he liked to combine. She caught it, a trail, leading to the club but not exiting it, indicating the fugitive was still there. Sighing in resignation, Rachel allowed her others senses to flow open again, one hand briefly brushing against the holster at her hip one her touch returned, the cool metal of the government issued handgun a comfort. Weeks ago, Dr. Rosen had given Bill the task of training Nina and Rachel in firearms, just enough so they were competent in case they had to face someone dangerous (which meant basically every Alpha they faced). Gary's mother had immediately forbid such a thing, and given Gary's disposition toward violence, Dr. Rosen found it best to not allow the young man a weapon, instead giving the transducer a set of handcuffs, now the standard equipment for the team since any one of them could be in the situation needed to detain an Alpha. Needless to say, handcuffs weren't much a safety, given that most Alphas had abilities that allowed escape from such bounds.

"Gary, I'm going to need you to stay out here. I'm going in to find Collins," she said, looking him in the eye, hoping that he understood the severity of her orders. Gary shook his head, one hand brushing through the air.

"There aren't any cameras in that building. I won't be able to watch over you, Rachel. I'm going in with you. Someone needs to watch your back," argued Gary for once meeting her gaze. Rachel shook her head stepping back, closer to the club.

"Gary, it's not safe for you. Stay out here-"

"Rachel, it's not safe for you either. We're a team, okay? We work together," pressed Gary, and Rachel saw the determination in his blue eyes. She pursed her lips before nodding.

"Stay close to me."

**:::**

Getting in was a little too easy for Rachel's comfort, but that probably had to do with the fact that they flashed their DCIS badges at the bouncer, Gary more so eager to pronounce his presence. Declining any sort of management assistance, Rachel hesitantly eased into the club, Gary right behind her, eyes wandering all over.

It was more crowded than expected, with groups of men, most surprisingly well dressed, crowding the bar or stage, and a select few women tagging along, perhaps with their significant other or for their own pleasure. Rachel's senses tingled, picking up the obnoxious music, the smell of perfume the scantily clad women were wearing, the flashing lights, all fogging up her tracking. Avoiding a woman wearing a too short skirt and tube top, one hand balancing a tray, Rachel weaved through the crowds, one hand reaching for Gary's. She dared not look back at him, in fear of exactly how he was taking in everything.

"Rachel," he said, his voice not so confident as before, "some women aren't wearing clothes. Shouldn't we do something? That's wrong. My mom says it's _lewd _to wear nothing in public." Rachel shook her head, eyes scanning the men for Collins, but the club was too large, a second floor balcony overlooking the first floor, and although her eyesight was above average without blocking out her other senses, there were just too many other environmental factors that was disrupting her focus.

"Watch out for Collins," she mumbled softly to him, stopping in place, her hand clenching his, knowing he did not like to be touched, but realizing it would help her stay grounded in such an environment. Gary let out some sort of sound from behind her before moving closer, his chest nearly pushing up against her shoulder blades. Rachel tried not to imagine what caused his negative reaction, whether it was all the sounds and sights, or whether one of the young attractive employees had gotten a bit flaunty right next to the transducer.

Closing her eyes, Rachel focused all her mind on the sense of smell, the music, voices, laugher, all fading back. She breathed through her nose, catching whiffs of several things, some of which she tried not to cringe at, instead moving on, searching the mixture of smells for the distinct cologne and cigarette combination. There. Above her. Barely there, clouded by other smells, sweeter, _prettier _smells. Perfume. Collins was no doubt attempting to hide upstairs, perhaps in belief that surrounding himself with women would somehow wash away anything that Rosen's team could track them with. Either he didn't know about Rachel, or he was severely underestimating her.

Opening her eyes, Rachel's other senses rushed back in, her smell evening out to tolerable levels. Shaking her head to clear up any lingering blocks in her senses, the young woman looked up to search the balcony, eyes narrowed. She could not see Collins directly given the angle, but knew he was up there.

Suddenly, Rachel felt a tug on her hand. She turned, nearly walking into Gary's chest, so close he was standing behind her. He was looking at the ground, eyes flitting along the tiles, trying not to glimpse any further at the six inch neon heels that pranced around, cheeks abnormally red.

"Did you find Collins?" he asked, briefly looking up at her, before focusing on her chest, just a second, causing Rachel's eyes to widen a fraction at his gaze, before dropping to a spot on his trainers.

"Second floor," was all Rachel managed to get out, somewhat put out that Gary had been…staring at her. Something about that was not quite right – any other guy and Rachel wouldn't be so surprised, but _Gary_? Shaking her head, Rachel brushed away the thoughts, moving toward the stairs that led to the balcony. Best not think about something like that. Not until Collins was captured anyway.

As they climbed the stairs, Rachel let go of Gary's hand to unclip the gun holstered at her hip under her coat. Rachel was not one for violence, never having actually fired the gun at someone, but found that in the case of Peter Collins, a strong psychic with a penchant for psionic blasts, causing mind overloads, resulting in crippling pain, memory loss, and at times, when focused on one subject for too long, coma, precautions were a must. Other than avoiding eye contact, which only made his ability more effective, there was not much to do in keeping oneself safe. Even Gary, with his slight autism, was still vulnerable. Whether it was the subdued lighting, or just because of Rachel's position against the railing, no one took notice of her gun.

Finally reaching the balcony, Rachel glanced around, trying to ignore the women wearing only lacy panties and bras (and sometimes just one or the other) and focused instead on the men, looking for a tall blonde wearing a gray suit, blue button down shirt. She was about to shut down her senses again, focus on smell for a better location, despite the idea that she would be entirely vulnerable if Collins found her first and decided to unleash a psionic blast, when Gary suddenly called out.

"There!" And Rachel whipped around, catching sight Peter Collins, surrounded by a hoard of half-naked women, one hand waving bills around, the other holding a shot glass. Rachel tugged Gary behind a table, causing the man sitting there, woman on his lap, to let out a string of curses, ready to shove the Alphas somewhere else when he caught sight of Rachel's gun, and was suddenly up, causing the stripper to let out her own profanities when he dropped her.

"Bad words," mumbled Gary from next to Rachel. "This is a bad place."

The earlier man's sudden panic had sent others into a frenzy as they glanced over to see the cause of his fear, eyes nearly bulging at the sight of Rachel's unloaded gun. It would only be a matter of time before Collins noticed the balcony start to clear up, and so, Rachel turned and nodded at Gary.

"Stay here, tell Dr. Rosen we have Collins in our sight and I'm moving in." Gary returned her nod.

"Be careful, Rachel." The Persian woman sent him a smile before quickly moving to take cover behind a pillar, easing her way closer through the emptying balcony. Collins had seemed to notice something was up, especially when the music downstairs started to lower, perhaps because the establishment had finally realized that government officials was there and that business as usual was not going to work with an armed agent running around. Knowing Collins was going to run, and most likely weasel his way through the chaos for freedom, Rachel stepped from behind her shielding, pointing the gun steady with both hands at Peter Collins.

"Peter Collins! Don't move! You're under arrest!" Rachel wasn't exactly sure what else to say, so instead she focused on giving her best intimidating look, a slight sense of pride swelling up in realization that unlike the situation with the Ghost and Jessica Elkhart, she was no longer the victim. Collins sat up straighter, arms retracting from the fleeing strippers, and going up, a little too calmly for Rachel.

"Ah, and here I thought I managed to escape. I see they sent their pretty little bloodhound after me," drawled out Collins, standing up, causing Rachel to unconsciously step back.

"Stay where you are!" Collins quirked an eyebrow at her, and for a moment, Rachel wondered why he hadn't hit her with a psionic blast yet, and why the _hell _was she just standing there. She tried to get her legs to move, to hurry and handcuff Collins, then patiently wait for the others, eyes flicking to pick out a spot on his navy shirt, knowing that looking Collins in the eye would give his ability more of a metaphorical punch. She hoped that as Dr. Rosen had predicted, Collins would be too weak from two psionic blasts on Hicks and Bill that he wouldn't have enough energy to hit her with one, at least not strong enough to bring her down like her two other teammates.

"Are you going to shoot me?" questioned Collins, stepping closer. Rachel's knees shook. She felt sick, the gun starting to shake in her hands. She had never fired one at a person. Only at practice, with either Hicks or Bill behind her, giving her pointers, helping her focus.

"I said stay where you are!"

"I counted six when I looked up your team. Had to know who was after me, you know? I'm sure the two big guys are a bit _occupied_ as of now, and can imagine the good Doctor isn't one for confrontation. Saw the woman too, the pretty one with that damn manipulation. Got away from her though. That leaves you, and I suppose the transducer. Where is that one, hm?" Rachel didn't say anything, pursing her lips. Collins had stopped his advance on her, and tilted his head.

"Ah. I suppose you didn't think he'd like it much here." Collins smiled then, and one of his hands moved to his temple, eyes now narrowed as he tried to catch Rachel's gaze but she focused on his navy shirt, ignoring the stinging sensation running up the side of her head.

_Her parents. Her mother. Kicking her out. Dinner. Those men she went out with. Men she could barely kiss. Her mother's disappointment. Father's disapproval. Parents. Sister. Fake. Fake. Her ability. Useless. _

Thoughts were rushing in fast, skipping around, some memories, some just abstract concepts, and Rachel realized Collins was trying to overwhelm her mind from the inside, and the stinging was the mild side effect – he was too weak to cause full on pain, especially since he hadn't made eye contact, but it was enough for one of Rachel's hands to move up to grasp her head, eyes unfocused as she tried to hold herself together, to ignore the stinging sensation and block back the thoughts that were starting to cloud her mind.

"Next time you point a gun at me," started Collins, his own voice slightly strained from constantly hitting her with low level psionic blasts in his weakened state, "try turning the safety off." Rachel saw his feet shuffle closer, but her gun wouldn't raise, pointed at the ground now as she tried to maintain balance, massaging her temple.

Then, the sound of metal hitting a surface and the pain had suddenly eased up, as if a burden lifted, and all that was left was a dull ache. Rachel looked up from Collins' crumbled form on the ground to see Gary standing over the psychic, holding up a chair, blinking wide eyed at Rachel before glancing down at the unconscious Collins.

"He should get a partner to watch his back next time."

**:::**

**I'm** **not sure if Gary's reaction to a strip club is appropriate given his autism but I tried, haha. Rachel I figured would sort of put it to the back of her mind and focus on the mission, but clearly be uncomfortable. **


	8. Call Me Baby

**I'm sure you guys will enjoy this small piece of nonsense. I don't own Alphas or Call Me Maybe.**

**:::  
><strong>

"Hey Rachel!" Rachel looked up from the paperwork on the Collins case to see Gary standing at her door which had been propped open. He looked terribly excited, fiddling with a folded piece of paper in his hands, a large grin directed at her. Taking him as a welcome distraction, Rachel returned the grin. Gary's excitement was often contagious.

"Hey Gary, what's up?" Gary took this as an invitation and glided in coming to stand right across from her, her desk the only thing between them.

"I just met you," Gary said, the grin never leaving his face. Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, about to point out everything wrong with what he just said only for Gary to continue with:

"And this is crazy. But here's my number," he paused to place the folded piece of paper on her desk. "So call me maybe!" With that, Gary hurried out of the room laughing like he told a joke, leaving a very confused Rachel. The brunette unfolded the paper on her desk to see a number written on it in Gary's neat handwriting. It was, if she remembered correctly, Gary's cellphone number. Rachel let out a sigh, staring at the number.

Was Gary playing a game? What he said sounded familiar but she couldn't place it. Perhaps a riddle? Taking the number as a clue, Rachel took out her cellphone to call it. The paperwork could wait.

**:::**

"Rachel!"

"Uh, hey Gary. I was supposed to call you, right?"

"Rachel, you were suppose to take your time with the call."

"Why?"

"So I would take no time with the fall."

"I don't think I follow Gary. Is this a riddle?"

"No. Rachel, you're not doing it right!"

"Gary, I don't really think I know where this is going."

"Baby."

"What?"

"You forgot the baby, Rachel."

"What baby?"

"The word. The word baby."

"...Gary I have to go. I think I saw a uhm, grasshopper in my office. A small one. That's going to take hours to find. You know how it is."

**:::**

Rachel dropped her cellphone like it was trying to eat her hand, rolling her chair a good foot away from it and her desk.

Gary liked her. That had to be it. Liked her. As more than a friend. As in "I-was-once-your-pretend-boyfriend-but-I-want-to-be-your-real-one" like her. He gave her his number. But as with all number giving scenarios, the number receiver had to wait a socially acceptable amount of days before calling. Which Rachel didn't. And Gary liked doing things a certain way, so in his mind, she wasn't doing it right. And, baby. He wanted her to call him baby.

"Rachel." Rachel let out a squeak, clutching her armrests in surprise. Gary was once again at her door, holding his laptop now.

"Oh, uh, hey Gary," Rachel managed to get out, rising from her seat and smoothing out her dress. "I was just uhm...it's good to see you Gary!"

Gary just gave her a confused smile, eyes wandering to her desk.

"It's nice to see you too, Rachel?"

"I mean," started Rachel, moving closer. "I know we just saw each other like ten minutes ago, and talked on the phone and all but, you know. It's just that I uh, I guess I missed you...not in a creepy way or anything, I mean!" Gary gave her a genuine smile now.

"Rachel, it doesn't really work if you don't get the lyrics right. It's 'I missed you so bad.'" Rachel just stared as Gary fiddled with his laptop.

"Lyrics?" she peeped, eyes wide, face starting to heat up.

"Yeah," Gary nodded, moving next to her to show her his laptop screen. "Here's a video with the lyrics so you can practice. Then we can get it right!" Rachel watched lyrics scroll on the screen, matching up to an annoyingly upbeat pop song, her heart sinking lower and lower as the song neared its end.

Gary had been quoting a song. Rachel felt like hitting herself.

"It's really catchy. I like it," remarked Gary when the song was finished, glancing over for Rachel's commentary. The brunette nodded, trying not to look horribly embarrassed. He didn't seem to notice and continued on.

"I'm going to try it with Bill next. Maybe he knows all the lyrics. I bet this is his favorite song." Gary laughed to himself and Rachel couldn't help but join in.

"Do it. I'm sure Bill will appreciate the break," Rachel agreed, reaching over for the folded paper with Gary's number on it, and placing it on his laptop's keyboard. Gary nodded, leaving, but not before looking in her direction one more time.

"Next time?"

"I'll be an expert with the lyrics. I promise."

**:::**

**This is what happens when I have no ideas guys. So. Send me ideas. By the way, I made another Gary/Rachel fanvid, check it out at my youtube channel! (which is sawruhr)  
><strong>


	9. John

**I actually haven't finished watching all of season 2 yet, but this takes place before Rachel and John are together or whatnot. (I've only seen like two episodes with him in it, so I might not have gotten his character on the mark).**

**:::  
><strong>

Gary realizes early on that he's not too fond of John. It's on their first mission together

"Why are you here?" Gary is sitting in the backseat, next to Rachel, and peering around her at the new guy. John looks visibly startled, and glances at Cameron and Bill in the front, who, use to Gary's bluntness, don't bother to say anything. John peeks over at Rachel who is sending Gary the look. Gary knows that look like he knows his routine. He's being inappropriate.

"I'm head of tactical," states John, looking a bit hesitant, then avoiding the eye contact that Gary isn't even making. Gary furrows his eyebrows. He knows that.

"But why are you _here_?"

"Gary," mumbles Rachel, but the look falters. She's starting to look as uncomfortable as John.

"Clay put me on the team," explained John, shifting closer to the door. "I'm here to back you guys up."

"But we never had any tactical lead on our team. Right, Bill? It's always just me, Rachel, Bill, Cameron, and Nina. But Nina's not here now. Are you supposed to be the new Nina?" Considering this, Gary sent John a dirty look. He didn't quite like the idea of Nina being replaced. "You're not even an Alpha."

"Gary," started Bill from the front seat, "he's not the new Nina. Give the guy a break okay?"

"Why?" blurted out Gary, glancing at the back of Bill's head. "It's supposed to be just us. He's not us. He's not our friend." And for a second, the air is extremely tense, and everyone in the car wants to agree, but they don't.

"Gary, give him a chance," vouched Rachel, but she doesn't quite defend the new man. She still remembers his rejection, and hates that part of her is still holding out that he'll be the one to run back to her.

"Rach, it's okay," John placates, less nervous, seemingly relaxed. Gary frowns. Only Cameron ever calls her Rach. "Gary doesn't like change I get it. I'm sure he'll get use to me with time." And that's that, but Gary can't help but decide he already doesn't like John.

**:::**

It's Tuesday. That's the day he and Rachel go out for lunch. It's one of the things Rachel missed the most when she left the team, but she's back, he's back, and they go for lunch just like before. Gary liked to believe it was what normal boyfriends and girlfriends do. (And he's not dumb, he knows they don't really need the cover anymore, but he realizes most of the time he's spent with Rachel has been as her pretend boyfriend).

But Rachel doesn't seem ready when he marches into her office, empty handed, money in pocket, ready to go out and get hummus. She's running around her office, one hand running through her hair, the other smoothing out her skirt.

"Rachel, are you ready?"

"No! I can't find my purse and now I'm building up a sweat which isn't good for my makeup at all. And I can _smell_ myself. John's probably waiting for me downstairs by now," she rants, distracted, leaning over to check under her desk. Gary frowns, unsure what John has to do with all of this.

"I saw your purse on the counter in the break room, Rachel. Is John coming with us? He can't, Tuesday lunch is just for me and you, Rachel." At this, Rachel goes still, shoulders tensing, and slowly looks up at him.

"Tuesday lunch. Right. I'm really sorry Gary, I am, but," she wrung her hands together, giving him a tight smile, "John invited me to lunch today." Gary just stares, for once making eye contact.

"You can't go though. It's Tuesday lunch. We always get hummus from the restaurant around the corner. I always hold the door open for you and pull your chair out. Then you make sure to order the hummus and get a salad. It's Tuesday lunch," Gary explains, sure and steady. It's Tuesday lunch with Gary, not Tuesday lunch with John. Rachel keeps giving him that not-quite smile.

"Gary," she starts, walking closer, and Gary realizes she looks a bit off. He cheeks are rosy, eyelashes long, and lips redder than usual. She's wearing makeup, but not anything like what she wore when they go out.

"I'm sorry. I just, I just really like John, you know? And now he's actually interested. You understand, right?" But Gary doesn't, not at all.

"I don't, Rachel. Tuesday lunch is lunch with me, not John. Why do you like him? He's not part of the team, he's not even an Alpha."

"Gary," Rachel reaches for him, but Gary has already left the room, on his way back to his office.

**:::**

John comes in during Gary's lunch break the next day, all smiles, and good mood. Gary shoots him a look before taking a bite of the sandwich his mother dropped off for him.

"Hey kid," John says, taking a seat next to him in the empty break room, a aluminum wrapped sub in one hand, a can of soda in the other.

"I'm not a kid," grumbles Gary, taking another bite of the sandwich. Most of the new employees have learned to avoid him at all costs. John doesn't seem to be most of the new employees. He is, after all, special enough to join them on most missions.

"Right. How ya holding up in your office? Must be tough living in there," John comments, snapping the top off his can and taking a sip. It is, but Gary shakes his head.

"It's not." John nods, and looks down at his sub, staring at it for a moment.

"Hey, can I ask you a question? You're really close to Rachel right?" John asks, not even waiting for the first response.

"Yeah. Me and Rachel are best friends." John nods.

"Do you think, I mean, knowing her so well, do you think we could work? In a relationship I mean. Like as coworkers, but dating too. I've only had one office thing and that didn't go too well, but that chick was a bit over the top. Nothing like Rachel. I just don't want to make things weird, ya know?"

Gary had tuned out right after John mentioned dating. He tightened his grip on his sandwich.

"You can't date Rachel," he said. "You can't have lunch with her on Tuesday either. Tuesday lunch is for me and Rachel." John just looks confused, and slightly amused.

"Uhhuh. Why can't I date her?"

"She's my friend. Not yours."

"I think she considers me her friend too. And she likes me enough to ask me out. So."

"Well you can't date her. She's my girlfriend."

"What? But she asked me out."

"No, she's with me. We've been together since before you even got here. So you should just leave."

**:::**

Rachel confronts Gary the next day, storming into his office.

"Why did you tell John you were my boyfriend?"

"Because I am, Rachel. "

"Gary, you do understand that was all pretend, right?"

Gary has never really gotten angry at Rachel before. But, as he remembers Dr. Rosen's counseling about independence - there's a first time for everything.

"Rachel, I'm not dumb, I know it was pretend. But you missed Tuesday lunch, and now you're going to be John's girlfriend and take him to lunch, and teach him to dance, and make him soup after you run through the rain," he doesn't realize how upset he sounds, but Rachel stares at him, almost dumbfounded.

"Gary," she starts, quietly, no longer looking ready to scold him, "are you jealous?" Gary shakes his head surely.

"No, why would I be jealous? I'm an Alpha, he's just normal." Rachel imagines that in any other situation she would laugh at Gary's endearing response, but now she simply shakes her head.

"Are you jealous that he'll be spending more time with me?"

"You're my best friend, Rachel," Gary replies, not quite answering her question, his eyes meeting hers for a brief moment. Rachel can't help but smile now, reaching out to tentatively place a hand on his shoulder.

"_If _John and I are ever together, that doesn't mean you and I won't be friends anymore. We'll still have Tuesday lunch, dance lessons, and soup after running in the rain," she says, meaning it. Gary doesn't seem convinced, not even looking in her general direction.

"I still don't like him, he's-"

"Not one of us, I know Gary."

"Not good enough for you," he corrects, and again briefly meets Rachel's eyes. Rachel's always been good at reading people, from the smallest quirks in their lips, to a slight furrow of the eyebrow, but she has no idea what to make of Gary's expression at this moment. Part of her wants to call it concern, and perhaps affection, but she's more than aware that there's something more she can't quite name.

"I have to go now," Gary pulls away from her touch, fiddling with his wristband as he leaves without saying bye. She was so sure he was going to say something else - Gary was never one to censor himself - but instead, he left her without an explanation. That wasn't like Gary at all. Rachel sighed. If he wanted to tell her something, he would have told her, she assured herself before setting her mind on her next date with John.

**:::**

**Am I the only one who was like "wat is dis guy doin here" when John started going on missions. It was so...convenient. Like just to find someone to hook Rachel up with. Whatever the case, I addressed it in the best possible way - this was written like months ago, and I just finished up a bit of the end today. I'm sorry it's not really shippy and actually rather unfortunate lol, but I'll try to make the next chapter uhhh more shippy.  
><strong>


End file.
